The Hunt
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ust three days into 2021, the BBC secured its first big hitter of the year: A Perfect Planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, drew in 6.2 million viewers. That’s on a par with previous series premieres such as Seven Worlds, One Planet (6.8 million), Dynasties (5.7 million viewers) and Blue Planet II (10.4 million). It’s a sign that the natural history genre continues to thrive. Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ are all commissioning high-end, original, nature programming; Discovery has recently announced a new nature-heavy streaming service, while Sky has a dedicated nature channel, spearheaded by three or four landmark series a year. At the same time, the traditional beating heart of the genre, the BBC’s Natural History Unit (NHU), has announced an expansion of its Bristol HQ and a new outpost in Los Angeles, as the global demand for nature programmes surges. The gold rush was already in full flow when the pandemic hit. As Tom McDonald, director of BBC Studios Factual, explains, natural history ticks all the boxes for lockdown audiences. “The trends in the pandemic are clear: audiences want escapism – things
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Shilpa Ganatra investigates how the appeal of natural history TV is growing in eco-conscious times with bright colours or the cosiness of shows such as The Repair Shop,” he says. “Or they want escapism in the form of a complex narrative, such as twisty-turny crime with heroes and villains. Natural history speaks to both those needs at the same time. It’s a comfort, but it’s also thrilling and distracting. “Another aspect is the interest in the environment. The BBC’s Science Unit, which collaborates closely with the NHU, made Extinction: The Facts, which [attracted an audience of] 4 million in its opening week. That was incredible for a hard-hitting film in the middle of a pandemic.” We saw the tangible effect that film- making can have with An Inconvenient Truth in 2006 and Blue Planet II in 2017, both of which delivered persuasive environmental messages. Keith Scholey, co-founder and co-CEO of Silverback Films, the
BBC
The call of the wild
production company behind A Perfect Planet and A Life on Our Planet among others (and recently bought by All3Media), explains that “scientists know what needs to be done, but the world is not going that way because most people don’t understand the seriousness of what’s playing out. “So natural history film-makers have a responsibility to urgently get that out. As David Attenborough says, in one way, the environmental crisis is a communication crisis.” But meeting the increased demand – even with higher commissioning budgets – is far from straightforward. For starters, the pandemic has halted production in key countries. And even when filming returns, there’s no hurrying up giant tortoises so the crew can begin their next project. Moreover, only a limited number of production staff have the specialist experience to deliver a premium show. “A landmark series can take four years to deliver, and you’ve got to work on three or four of those to become a producer,” says Scholey. “The danger is that people will get overpromoted and the quality will fall. And if buyers come in to a new genre expecting a certain standard because
